Consider The Bigger Picture

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

With Xiong Tatian and Li Tianji around, Qin Yu had been relentlessly training without any worries for the past month. His strength had improved by a large margin. If Qin Yu hadn't wanted to consolidate his realm and temper his physical body, he would have already reached the eighth level of the Martial Realm.

It had to be said that over the past month, what Qin Yu drank the most was the blood of fierce beasts. Although this blood was worlds apart from the blood in Xiong Tatian's gourd, it was enough to make Qin Yu's Blood Essence become more robust.

As time went by, the three had reached the depths of the Beast Burial Forest, and their speed gradually slowed. Third-rank fierce beasts gathered here. Although Xiong Tatian's strength was extraordinary, he was also wary of encountering a beast horde. At that time, even if he could retreat unscathed, Qin Yu and Li Tianji would likely be in danger.

"Li Tianji, how big is this place, and where is that Ancestor Ape Blood?" Xiong Tatian asked impatiently, his voice rough.

Li Tianji looked at Xiong Tatian with a cold expression and said, "I know there's Ancestor Ape Blood here, but how would I know where it is? Whether you can obtain it depends on your luck!"

"Then you lied to me?" Xiong Tatian was very displeased.

Li Tianji trembled with anger. Qin Yu, standing beside them, quickly said, "Xiong Tatian, some things really do depend on luck. I've also heard that there are Dao Realm fierce beast corpses in the Land of Beast Burial. It should be the Ancestor Ape that Li Tianji mentioned. We should be able to find it if we search more here." As he spoke, Qin Yu paused and then asked, "Li Tianji, what kind of Ancestor Ape are you talking about?"

"Are there many types of Ancestor Apes?" Xiong Tatian asked suspiciously, and Li Tianji also turned to look at Qin Yu, wondering what ancient texts Qin Yu had obtained to know so much. He didn't know that Qin Yu was a walking library.

"Of course, just like humans and beasts, there are species. For example, you are from the Mad Bear Clan, but besides the Mad Bear Clan, there are also the Rage Bear and War Bear clans. This is divided into many types based on bloodline differences. The ape race also has several types, which can be finely divided into: Primeval Ape, Ancestor Ape, Ancient Ape, and War Ape. True Ancestor Apes have likely ceased to exist. Even if they do, their bloodline would be extremely diluted. Therefore, I speculate that the Ancestor Ape mentioned here should accurately be a War Ape."

"Brother Qin, according to you, the blood of this War Ape isn't very useful?" Xiong Tatian had listened for a long time and hadn't heard the rest, but he had grasped this meaning.

Qin Yu gave a wry smile, finally understanding why Li Tianji was always angered by Xiong Tatian. After a moment of thought, he said, "Even if this War Ape's bloodline is diluted, it's still at the Dao Realm level. Its blood will naturally be useful to you. Nowadays, Dao Realm cultivators are extremely rare, and it might not necessarily be a War Ape; it could be an Ancient Ape, or even a true Ancestor Ape." Qin Yu said this for a reason. After all, the major sects behind the Wu Kingdom valued it, so this fierce beast was probably not that simple.

Qin Yu was certain that the description of it being a Dao Realm fierce beast was spread by that sect. What kind of fierce beast it truly was remained to be seen.

"Is that so? Then let's advance at full speed!" Xiong Tatian said with great surprise upon hearing this.

"Wait, Xiong Tatian, what's your cultivation level?" Qin Yu quickly stopped the restless Xiong Tatian and asked urgently. Because Xiong Tatian's aura made it impossible for Qin Yu to determine his cultivation, Qin Yu couldn't figure out Xiong Tatian's level.

"My cultivation level?" Xiong Tatian was also stunned. After a long while, he replied, "I should be in the middle stage of the Gangqi Realm, but I can easily crush any Heavenly Tempering Realm cultivator. You don't know, ever since I was born and couldn't remember anything, my father soaked me in a medicinal cauldron to temper my physical body... I was groggy all day long, and a hundred years passed like that. By the time I was sensible, I was already over ten years old."

Qin Yu and Li Tianji exchanged glances. Just the body tempering took a hundred years? No wonder Xiong Tatian's physique was outrageously strong.

"Our Mad Bear Clan doesn't care about cultivation level; we only care about physical strength. Once I reach adulthood, my cultivation will naturally increase," Xiong Tatian said proudly.

Qin Yu couldn't help but sigh, comparing oneself to others can be disheartening.

However, Qin Yu also knew that it was unknown how long it would take for Xiong Tatian to truly reach adulthood. This meant that during this period, he would remain mentally immature, short-tempered, and reckless. In this way, Xiong Tatian would easily offend people, which was extremely unfavorable for him.

"By the way, how many clan members do you have now?" Qin Yu asked. With Xiong Tatian's temperament, offending people would be commonplace in the future. Without the support of a powerful family, he might die early.

"This... I won't tell you," Xiong Tatian said, his face flushing with annoyance.

Qin Yu gave a wry smile. The Mad Bear Clan had at most a hundred members at its peak. Now... Xiong Tatian's clan members probably didn't exceed ten, and might even be fewer.

"This Land of Beast Burial probably has third-rank fierce beasts, so we can't rush in. After all, only you can fight a third-rank fierce beast. Caution is the parent of safety; don't be careless in anything," Qin Yu said in a low voice, glancing into the depths, not asking further.

His main purpose this time was to improve his Blood Essence and strength. He wasn't in a hurry about his cultivation level. He knew Cui Shuo's strength and was worried about any unforeseen circumstances in these five and a half months. If it weren't for Qin Xue and Qin Zhan's safety, Qin Yu wouldn't have postponed the life-and-death battle until five and a half months later.

"How about I clear the path ahead, and you two follow me?" Xiong Tatian said after thinking for a long time. He didn't want to sit with Li Tianji and watch Qin Yu fight fierce beasts.

"Alright!" Qin Yu glanced at Li Tianji and nodded.

Thus, Xiong Tatian led the way, with Qin Yu and Li Tianji following behind. Qin Yu would kill first-rank fierce beasts alone. When encountering second-rank fierce beasts, Qin Yu would only let Li Tianji act if it was absolutely necessary. Li Tianji and Xiong Tatian were complete opposites. Xiong Tatian was itching for a fight at all times, while Li Tianji would not act unless he had to. As time went by, Qin Yu's strength steadily improved.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

While Qin Yu was immersed in his cultivation, in Tianwu Main City, at the Cui Residence.

"Grandfather, is this thing useful? There are only two months left, and Qin Yu's whereabouts are unknown. He's probably gone somewhere to train hard, and his strength will surely increase by another level in two months," Cui Shuo said doubtfully, examining the thin, gauzy soft armor in his hand, his brow furrowed with worry. Recalling his fight with Qin Yu, Cui Shuo couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.

Seeing Cui Shuo's hesitant and fearful demeanor, Cui Hong couldn't help but feel disappointed. He hadn't expected Cui Shuo to be so afraid of Qin Yu. If he had known, he wouldn't have accepted the challenge even if it meant losing face. He sighed inwardly, and Cui Hong slowly said, "This soft armor has an extraordinary origin. It's a Third-Rank Low-Grade Spirit Artifact, the Sky Silkworm Soft Armor. No matter how strong Qin Yu is, can he break the defense of the Sky Silkworm Soft Armor?"

"Third-Rank Low-Grade Spirit Artifact?" Cui Shuo's eyes lit up. In the Star Realm, Spirit Artifacts were divided into seven tiers, with each tier having upper, middle, and lower grades. The higher the grade of a Spirit Artifact, the more precious it was. For example, the sword he used before was only a First-Rank Upper-Grade Spirit Artifact.

However, compared to offensive Spirit Artifacts, defensive Spirit Artifacts were much more precious. They were life-saving items in critical moments. Moreover, even cultivators in the Heavenly Tempering Realm would find it difficult to break through a Third-Rank Low-Grade Spirit Artifact. Qin Yu was only at the sixth level of the Martial Realm. No matter how monstrous he was, he couldn't possibly break through the defense of a Third-Rank Low-Grade Spirit Artifact.

Cui Shuo happily examined the Sky Silkworm Soft Armor and said, "With this, I won't fear Qin Yu even if he reaches the Gangqi Realm in these five months."

"I heard that your Senior Brother Wang Ping obtained a Ground Fire. If you can borrow it, Qin Yu can be burned to death with that Ground Fire alone," Cui Hong said slowly, his turbid eyes fixed on Cui Shuo.

Cui Shuo's gaze dimmed, and he shook his head, sighing, "It's true that Senior Brother Wang obtained the Ground Fire, but it's his life-saving item, and he won't agree to lend it."

"When your Senior Brother arrives, I will talk to him," Cui Hong said, his eyes flickering. Cui Shuo was the most outstanding descendant of his lineage. Cui Hong had placed great hopes on Cui Shuo and naturally wouldn't allow any harm to come to him.

Cui Shuo's expression trembled, and he looked at Cui Hong in disbelief. "Grandfather, are you confident you can persuade Senior Brother Wang? If I can truly borrow that Ground Fire, with this Sky Silkworm Soft Armor and the Ground Fire, I have absolute confidence in killing Qin Yu."

"Alright, you may withdraw. Grandfather needs to prepare some things," Cui Hong said calmly.

"Yes, Grandfather!" Cui Shuo happily played with the soft armor and turned to leave.

The moment Cui Shuo turned around, Cui Hong's turbid eyes became deep. He stared at Cui Shuo's retreating back, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. After a long while, he muttered to himself, "He has the talent but lacks cunning and resourcefulness. How can he be of great use? If not for the bigger picture... Hmph!"

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